


the blessed companionship of killers

by Ameliapll



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Gen, The Rogues (DCU) As Family, Unreliable Narrator
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-08
Updated: 2018-08-26
Packaged: 2019-06-23 20:39:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 939
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15614538
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ameliapll/pseuds/Ameliapll
Summary: The Rogues  have thoughts  on Axel.They're positive.Sometimes.





	1. Chapter 1

It's a mild torture, watching it happen day in and day out. Walker will pick up the cell and punch in a memorised number, a look of puppy-like hope on his face that slowly fades as the phone rings and rings and then he's speaking  with a smile and voice like shattered glass 

 

"Hey dad. It's me, Axel. Um, maybe you didn't get my last message? I need some advice on my Ax-id. Call me back? Love you." 

 

Then he silently cries and Len disappears. 

 

Not this time. 

As he disappears, he finds an outsider crook, Marvin, and has him trace James Jesse down. As soon as a location is mentioned, Len holsters his gun and walks off. 

\--

James Jesse opens his eyes at the sudden temperature drop. Air con. Landlord had been real stingy about it. James would lobotomise him, it would show him. 

 

"Lewis Snart," a familiar drawl says, stopping him in his tracks. "Osgood Rathaway. Edward Dillon. Nicholas Rory," 

 

"Lenny! How polite of you to visit. Such a shame, I kept my arsenic locked away," James chuckles. Even he's unnerved by the emotionless look on the elder Snart's face. 

 

"Thomas Scudder. Can you guess what they have in common?" 

 

"Well, they raised you fine young villains, I imagine," James says and makes the mistake of putting a hand on Leonard Snart's shoulder. The ice gun whips him in the belly and sends him sprawling to the floor. 

 

"They were bad fathers, James," Leonard says. Calling him Trickster would indicate respect for this...clown, and Len has no respect for him. 

 

"That's no way to treat your host, Lenny," wheedles James, even now, surely at the losing end of a fight. 

 

Leonard kneels down.

 

"They were bad fathers, James, and I killed them for it. All of them are  _dead._ Guess what, James? You've been a bad father,"

 

"Axel? But he's not even my-"

This time, he's cut off by the ice gun whipping his face. Hard. Smashing it into wood.  

 

"Oh, I know that. But he doesn't. So, yeah, you're being a bad father. And unless you want the same fate as Osgood Rathaway, I suggest you call your son back and be delighted to hear from him. Or, James, you're going to die. Not in a notorious, infamous fashion. No, no, I'll kill you in such an impersonal, common way people will be ashamed to associate you with  'Trickster'. Do we understand each other?" 

 

Leonard smiles and walks to the door, side on, so he can see Jesse and any tricks he may have rigged. Then he freezes James' bed as he leaves. 

 

Petty, but so is he.

\---

 

Axel's phone rings a second before he dials the same number. 

 

"Hel- Dad!" The smile on Axel's face breaks Len's heart. It's not broken glass. It's a vase by the window, sunlight captured by it. 

Doomed to shatter once more. 


	2. 2

Many, many people would be very surprised to hear that the Rogues have civilised breakfast. 

 

Well, mostly civilised. One can't forget the time Mark nearly caused a hurricane over missing the coffee. 

 

But yet, the nine criminals have their various food and drink, discussing the day ahead. 

 

"Mick, the Santinis are planning a hit. I want you to get there first," 

 

"Can I burn some shit?" Mick asks, a slow grin crossing his face.

 

"This once," Leonard says. "I want you to take Axel, too. It'll be good for the kid to get some leg room," 

 

Axel beams brightly and pretends not to hear  Sam choking on his coffee in response. 

\--

He takes a gun with Ax-Id in it and Mick takes his flamethrower. Hartley's on coms with Leonard. 

 

It takes all of eight minutes for guns to start going off. Axel sprays this way and that, hearing screams of  agony and nearly misses a bullet. 

 

"Axel, I need you on forefront," Leonard instructs, Axel hastily doing as requested, shooting around, when. 

 

 " _I'm out of Ax-id,"_ he hisses. 

 

"How can you be out?" Hartley complains. "I filled it the night before!" 

 

He ignores Hartley  and looks up, getting the sinking realisation that the Santinis have noticed that he can't shoot and are aiming their guns at him. 

 

He's not quite ready to be shot head-to-toe.

 

Squeezing his eyes shut, he prepares and then 

There's screaming. A lot of screaming. And someone's grabbed his arm and is hauling him out of there.

 

 _Oh, god,_ Axel thinks, squeezing his eyes tighter,  _am I being kidnapped?_

 

He knew what the Santini folk did to people's fingers.  

 

"...HOW could you be so STUPID?" Mick's roaring.

He's not shot

Or kidnapped

That's...a relief. 

 

"Mick," Axel croaks.

 

"When the MOB are pointing GUNS at you, you don't freeze up like one of Snart's fucking pigeons!"

 

"Excuse me," Len says. He sounds rather indignant. "Leave my pigeons out of this!" 

 

"Be more careful, Walker," Mick warns. There's a look on his face Axel can't quite place. 

 

"I'm sorry," Axel pouts and follows to the car. Once there, he turns. The warehouse has gone up in flames, probably due  to Mick. 

 

It's then that the look makes  sense.

Mick was relieved Axel didn't die.

\-----------------------

 

"You lost your focus," Len says in private that night. "You burnt a warehouse to the ground. I could hear you yelling,"

 

"Those fuckers nearly shot the kid," Mick spits. "Seriously, what kind of cowardly sonsabitches try to shoot an unarmed kid. What's that smile?" 

 

"The newbies  have really grown on ya, huh?" Len grins. "Don't worry,  _dad,_ your secret's safe with me,"

 

The words- so innocuous- leave Mick reeling. 

 

Maybe he does care.

But it's only a  _little_ bit. 


End file.
